Written in Charcoal
by Swirly Head
Summary: Destiny has come calling for the Slayer...and Spike? This will eventually take a B/S direction...but no smoochies. Set after 'Into the Woods', with a new monster that has never featured on the show...
1. Dragons

Buffy collapsed on to the bed

A/N This story takes place after 'Into the Woods'. It completely veers off from the rest of S5. I have posted it here before, but it SOMEHOW got deleted. So here it is again, for your viewing pleasure. Will eventually sort of be B/S…you'll have to wait and see. Don't worry, there isn't any Riley….hehehehehe.

Written in Charcoal

Buffy collapsed on to the bed.

It had possibly been the worst day of her life. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. She'd had a lot of worst days, but this one ranked pretty high on the Suck-o-meter. Riley had cheated on her. Not just any old cheating. No, he'd cheated on her with the undead. Skanky, undead whores.

And then she'd spilled her guts to Spike, who was definitely acting weirder than usual. Not only was he stealing pictures of her and apparently doing the stalking thing, that she could handle. He was talking to her. Dancing with her.

_All Slayer's have a death wish._

Tears began to roll down her face. Again. Why did it always hurt, why couldn't she ever just be happy? It was all so complicated. But, then she could never have anything pure. It seemed that everything she touched turned black. First the disaster of Angelus, now this unsavory experience with Riley. 

"Buffy? Are you okay?"

It was Willow. Buffy quickly wiped the tears away from her face, and stood up.

"I'm fine."

Willow walked in, and made a note of the Slayer's red rimmed eyes.

"No, you're definitely the opposite of fine." Willow's voice softened. "Do you want me to stay here tonight? Because if you want we can talk..."

"Really Willow, I'm okay. You go out, have some fun." Buffy gave a bitter laugh. "I mean, I should be used to dealing with this kind of thing by now, shouldn't I?"

"Buffy..."

"Just go."

Willow walked hesitantly over to her friend, gave her a hug, and left.

The moment the door clicked shut, the tears came again.

*****

"You guys just don't...ugh...get it, do you?"

Buffy slammed another stake home, and the second vampire turned to dust. The ashes of his friend where scattered nearby, and she turned to face the last vampire.

"Come on then. Make my..."

The vampire took one look at the Slayer and ran.

"They never let me finish that line! It makes me so mad when vampires don't appreciate melodrama." 

And I'm talking to myself. Must be the after effects of the whole achy breaky heart experience... 

Buffy stopped babbling and stood over a grave, stake poised. A vampire burst through the soil, and she looked at her watch.

"Right on time. Bye bye!"

Dust.

This wasn't making her feel better. Well, not very much. For a start, it was too easy.

_Whatever happened to indestructible evil coming along every week? I haven't had a decent slay for...well, ages. _

Then she heard it. A low growl. Very low and very loud. It seemed to be coming from the general direction of the tomb on her left, about ten meters away. 

"You just had to ask, didn't you...." she mumbled under her breath. Stake raised, she moved silently towards the tomb. There was a swift rush of air.

Everything went black.

*****

"First degree burns...face and hands...seem to be healing remarkably quickly...no, there's no danger of scarring.."

Buffy's eyes flickered open and she recognized the now familiar smell of the hospital. There was a flurry of motion and she was aware of a sea of concerned faces. 

"Buffy, you're awake! Thank God..."

"Knew she was just faking it..."

"Geez Buff, you had us worried..."

"You said you were okay I shouldn't have left you..."

Giles spoke again. 

"What happened?"

"I was...patrolling.thought it might calm me down a little...then I...heard something. Like a growly noise. And I went to see what it was, then I..I can't remember."

She felt her face. There were a few patches of rough skin.

"What happened to my face?"

"First degree burns. Nothing serious." That was the doctor, with her clipped professional tone.

"Burns.."

Leathery wings. Charcoal breath. Gleaming teeth. Nightmare claws.

"It was a dragon."

*****

"Dragons! There are no such things as dragons! Vampires, demons, slug-men, Inca-mummy girls, yes. But dragons?" Xander said incredulously. Even Willow raised her eyebrow, and Buffy immediately regretted saying it.

"Think hard Buffy. Was it some kind of fire-breathing demon?" Giles asked, squinting worriedly at her.

"I was so sure…it was a…never mind. I suppose it might have been a demon…" Buffy trailed off. The others continued to stare at her. 

Dawn snorted. "Look, whether it's a dragon or a demon, what's the problem?"  
  


Giles turned on her. "The problem is it very nearly could have killed your sister, and we need to find a way to destroy it. You can't always just jump in and kill demons, you know, especially strong ones. Even with Buffy's accelerated healing powers, she still ended up in hospital…are you feeling any better?" 

"I'll be okay by tomorrow. Are you going to…"

"I'll have a look through the books, see what I can find….until tomorrow then."  
  
"Bye Buff."  
  


"I'll drop by later, I promise."

Dawn sat silently by Buffy's bed for a moment longer, waiting until the others had gone. She looked at her sister with large eyes and a slightly questioning expression.

"Was it really a dragon?"  
  


Buffy sighed. "No. I guess not. Look, you go with Xander. He said he'd look after you."  
  
"I don't need looking...Xander? Bye!"

The Slayer lay her head back on to the bed and closed her eyes. She couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was watching her, an unpleasant reminder of the previous night's close encounter. 

_If Giles says there's no such thing as dragons…I guess I was wrong._

"Slayer? You awake in there?"  
  


Spike. 

Buffy kept her eyes closed, and willed him to go away. A visit from the peroxide pest was just about the last thing she needed now. He was part of the reason she was so angry and confused. At least the whole dragon thing had made her forget a little. His voice was a fresh reminder of Riley's absence, and she felt her concentration slipping.

Spike crouched down by the side of the hospital bed, and she heard him put something on the floor. Then he just stood and looked at her for a few minutes before leaving, the door clicking gently shut behind him.

Buffy cautiously opened one eye, and with great effort leaned over the side of the bed. A small box. 

Weird.

She held it up to eye level. Just a plain, black box, about the size of a book. She prised the lid off the box with some difficulty, and pushed aside the tissue paper.

It was a tooth. Sharp white enamel, gleaming in the dim electric light. It was too large to be a vampire tooth, but resembled one that she'd once knocked from a fledgling's mouth. Buffy picked it up and held it in her hand. 

  
A thousand images seared her mind.

She was flying across a barren desert, hot air blasting strands of hair away from her face. Soaring down low, effortlessly, she was free. Twisting and turning, then she saw something on the ground.

Dinner.

She closed in on the hooded figure, claws ready to maim and kill, mouth open wide in a deadly snarl.

The hooded figure whirled around. It grabbed her leg, causing her to falter and fall. It kicked her while she regained her senses, and she fought with it. They circled like wildcats, warrior to warrior, claws and fire against hand and sword.

Then the hood fell back, and it plunged the sword deep into breast.

And as Buffy was sucked back to reality, she saw the dragon die, and the one who had killed it turned to face her, with vibrant, laughing emerald eyes.

The Dragon Slayer smiled.


	2. Unlikely Allies

Spike's eyes snapped open, and he jumped up

A/N Thank to the people who reviewed the first chapter…it may not be very actiony yet, but trust me, it gets more…actiony. Anyway, keep reading and reviewing….

Written in Charcoal 

Spike's eyes snapped open, and he jumped up. The Slayer stumbled a little, then quickly regained her balance, pushing him up against the cold stone wall of the tomb. He could have shaken her hand off easily enough, she was still weak, but he savored the physical contact.

"What do you know?"

"Slayer…"  
  
"Tell me! This isn't the time for…"  
  


She fell forward, and he reached out to support her. "Don't touch me!" Buffy backed away, unsteady on her legs, and when she raised her head again he saw tears of anger and frustration form. They were blinked away quickly, and she approached him once more, her breathing more level. "This isn't the time for your games, Spike. Tell me what I need to know. Where did you get this?"

Spike's eyes narrowed as she showed him the dragon's tooth, laid flat on her hand. "It was a present."  
  
"The truth. I mean it. Don't think I won't…"

"You won't what, Slayer? You're as weak as a kitten, and.."  
  


She sprung forward and slammed his head against the wall, clutching his throat in an iron grip. "An angry kitten."  
  
When he looked into her eyes, he knew that whatever fragile bond had started to form was broken. Spike rolled his eyes, and inwardly cursed himself for pushing her. "I got it from a dragon. You don't believe me? Well, I didn't get it straight from the dragon's mouth. It was given to me as a prize I won in a duel. I thought you might be interested."  
  
Buffy's hands fell to her side, and she bit her bottom lip. She was sure he knew more than he was letting on, and decided not to push him any further. There were, however, a few more things to clear up.

"What's a Dragon Slayer?"  
  
"I don't know. I'm guessing from the inventive name, it slays dragons."

She let out an exasperated breath. 

"Ask a stupid question…one more thing. How did you know I was attacked by a dragon…if they even exist."  
  


"Who do you think took you to the hospital?"

The question hung in the air between them, the silence heavy and hot. Buffy spun around on her heels, and angrily walked out of the tomb. Instead of finding answers, she had raised more questions. Spike picked up the dragon's tooth, discarded on the floor. A voice echoed inside his head, throughout every fibre of his body.

_You think you know...what you are, what's to come. You haven't even begun yet. _

And with it an image of the Slayer seared through his mind. Her neck was at an unnatural angle, her eyes wide and staring. Blood spattered the walls of the cold stone room, her blood, and something crouched over her. And as he was sucked back to reality, he saw the Slayer's broken body slump to the floor, and the one who had killed her turned to face him.

The dragon growled.

*****

Buffy paced.

_This is decidedly bad. This is more than bad. This is totally freaking me out._

Spike just sat there on her bed, not speaking. They exchanged looks again, and Buffy's pacing became more frantic.

I see a Dragon Slayer. He sees me being killed by a dragon. In many ways, I prefer my vision.

"We need to do something. Like go and talk to Giles."  
  
"Oh yeah, pet. He doesn't even think dragons exist. None of them do."  
  
"But the visions, the scorch marks…"  
  


Spike stood up, agitated. "It doesn't matter! We had the visions, we saw the bloody dragons!" 

Outside, a branch creaked. Slowly it began to bend under the controlled pressure of the claws wrapped experimentally around it. Inside, the Slayer and the vampire were really starting to argue. The owner of the claws saw the Slayer's bedroom door open and a young girl look in. She seemed intrigued by the vampire, but the Slayer closed the door.

Buffy shut the door.

The branch snapped.

*****

Buffy immediately turned to face the window, and assumed a fighting stance. Spike's eyes flickered to the place where the branch had been, and he flung himself at her. They both hit the floor seconds before a fireball blasted through the window and destroyed Buffy's room. Spike inhaled the smell of her hair, felt her heartbeat quicken and the adrenaline pump through her blood. Part of him hoped it was from his touch, but he knew that it was a result of the near miss.They lay there for a few seconds, then she pushed him off her. Spike sprang back and helped the shaking Slayer to her feet.

"Thanks."

She looked outside, scanning the ground below for signs of an intruder.

I don't even really believe it myself. It could still be a demon.

Buffy felt Spike's presence directly behind her, and turned. He shook his head.

"Don't look down there. Look up there."  
  
He pointed into the depths of the starry sky. Whatever had been there, had tried to kill them, was gone. It had left them with a powerful demonstration of its power, however. Buffy sighed in resigned exasperation as she looked at the blackened shell which had been her room. The door fell open to reveal a stunned Dawn and Joyce. "Buffy…what…"  
  
Buffy held up a hand to silence her mother's words.

"It was a demon. A fire demon. I'm going to kill it."  
  
"We're going to kill it."  
  


Spike and Buffy's eyes met. They were in this thing together now, for better or worse. Spike's voice broke the silence. "I'd better be off. Unless you want some help…"  
  
"I can manage. I suppose we should start tomorrow?"

  
"Meet me in Giles' house after he's left for the magic shop."

"Giles' house?"  
  
"Books."  
  
And with that he jumped out of Buffy's broken window, landed like a cat, and walked away. Buffy shook her head at the surreal situation, and groaned again as she surveyed the damaged room. Joyce raised her eyebrows and went back to bed. Dawn lingered at the door, then started to help Buffy salvage what was left of her possessions.

"Buffy?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"What's going on with you and Spike?"  
  
"Nothing."

There was a short silence as Dawn helped her sister free a stuffed toy from behind the broken shelving. "So why was he in your room? And why don't you want Giles involved?"  
  
Buffy stopped and sighed. "Look. Just don't tell Giles or any of the others about this. It's something Spike and I have to do…I don't know why him, or why me….it just happened."  
  
Dawn left her sister feeling more confused than ever. Was Buffy trying to tell her that she and Spike were in some kind of relationship? Or dating. She used to be so sure that Buffy hated Spike and he hated Buffy, but recently he'd been hanging around more. However much they argued, Dawn still loved her sister, and she thought that a secret relationship with Spike was bad news. As she climbed into bed, she decided to talk to Xander or Willow about it tomorrow. They'd know what to do.

Buffy curled up on the couch, blankets wrapped around her. Her mind kept playing back to the scene in her bedroom, when Spike had launched himself at her. He could have just ducked himself and left her to die or hope that she'd realize in time. But he hadn't. He wanted her alive. The Slayer shivered. All the time she known Spike, they'd wanted each other dead. This was something new, something where they were both involved. In it together. Would she have saved Spike if she'd noticed the dragon, the creature, before him?

I don't want to answer that.

*****

"Ow!"  
  
"Shut up!"

"Well, it slipped, and it hurt…"  
  
"You couldn't break your way into a cardboard box. You're bloody useless!"  
  
"I'm useless? I'm not the vampire who can't kill people!"  
  
"Why are we having to break in, anyway? Why don't you have a key?"  
  
"Because I lost it."  
  
"Trust the stupid Slayer to lose the key, and the goddamn Watcher to have fitted industrial….strength…locks!"  
  
With that final retort, Slayer and vampire pushed the door open as one. Buffy dropped the screwdriver she'd been trying to pick the lock with, and it rolled away in the early morning darkness. Spike stumbled, then righted himself. He moved immediately to the bookcase, and Buffy watched in surprise as he selected two slim volumes. "How did you…."  
  
"Know which ones to pick? I had another vision, a dream one, last night. Here."

She caught one of the books, and read the title aloud. "'Watcher's Diary - Elizabeth Scott.' What's yours called?" He glanced up, and his expression clouded. "Watcher's Records - William the Bloody.'" They both read in silence after that. Buffy wondered how much the book Spike was reading could help.

I mean, it's about him. No-one can know more about him, than, well, him. Can they? I suppose someone, somewhere, knows more about me than me. Scary. 

Spike looked up. He'd found what he thought was the helpful part in the first chapter. After that he'd skimmed through the rest of the book, scowling when the writer made a mistake. On the whole, however, it was pretty good. It stopped after he'd killed his second Slayer.

Wonder what they'd have written about my encounters with Little Miss Buffet. It'd be bloody embarrassing, that's for sure.

He watched the Slayer in question as she read the old Watcher's diary. She bit her bottom lip and he remembered that day, almost a year ago, when they'd been in love. 

Oh, pouty. Look at that lip. Gonna get it. Gonna... get it.

He grimaced in embarrassment at the memory, then closed his eyes briefly, to try and relive the moment. The sweet taste of her lips, her lithe body pressed against him… "Spike? Now is not the time to sleep. Although technically, you being a vampire, it is the time…Spike?"  
  


"Hmmm? Oh, Slayer, right…"  
  
"Did you find anything?"  
  
"I think so….you? Did you manage to read all the big, hard words?"  
  


"Shut up. Listen to this. 'Today Elizabeth was burnt. I believe the culprit to be a fire demon of some sort, although she insists otherwise. I have left her in the care of a nurse, who I hope will do the best she can for her.' Then he doesn't write anything for a few days. 'Today Elizabeth was approached by a vampire. He told her that they shared a fate, but she ignored his lying words and killed him. I cannot think what he meant, he seemed to just be another bloodsucking killer.' He goes on for a bit about how the fire demon had disappeared, and there's one last entry. ' She is dead. Badly burnt, and only recognizable by the cross she wore. It appears that I have been wrong about everything. I do not trust…'"  
  
Spike gestured impatiently. "Do not trust what?"

Buffy shrugged. "It just stops. The pages have been ripped out. Someone didn't want anyone to know about this."  
  


"The only people who've had access to these books are other Watchers and the Council."  
  
Their eyes widened at the implications, and Spike turned to the page he was concerned with. "After hearing that, this makes a little more sense. ' William the Bloody has been a concern of the Council, due to his violent nature and a prophesy concerning both him and a certain Slayer. This prophesy has not been revealed, but it is thought to concern the Slayer's true nature. All that is know is the Council wish him dead.' That's all news to me. Except the violent nature part."

Buffy frowned. "It sounds like whatever's happening to me and you happened to Elizabeth and that vampire she staked. The Council don't want anyone to know…why?"  
  
"Well, think about it, luv. A vampire and a Slayer? A shared destiny? Together? It goes against the whole work ethic…"  
  


"Destined for what? Destined to be a Dragon Slayer? I can see that working for me, but what's your part?"  
  


"Destined to help you? I don't know."  
  
"Maybe we need to go to the heart of the problem."  
  
"The Council?"

"The dragon."


	3. Literally Falling

A/N Again, Thankyou all for r/r! Some helpful suggestions....I don't know what's going on with all the big breaks, but I've reverted to txt instead of html, so that should be sorted...  
  
And I'm using ~ things to indicate thoughts. If anyone knows how to do italics in txt files, please tell me. Enjoy!  
  
  
Written in Charcoal  
  
  
Dawn looked through the door of the Magic Box. She could hear Anya, Xander   
and Giles' voices.   
  
"I just can't seem to get the hang of it."   
  
"It's easy....you obviously aren't trying hard enough."   
  
"Look, G-Man, I wouldn't worry about it too much...as long as you employ Anya,   
you'll be fine."  
  
Dawn pushed open the door, and saw them all crowded around the cash   
register.  
  
"Hi. Um, Xander, could we talk?"   
  
"Hold on a minute Dawn."   
  
"It's about Buffy."   
  
She had everyone's attention now. Inwardly Dawn felt a prick of jealousy that it   
only took the slightest mention of her sister's name to make them all listen. But   
concern for Buffy won over, and she told them about what she'd said last night.  
  
*****  
  
As it was still light outside, and would be for some time, Spike had cautiously   
suggested that they take the sewage route to his tomb and wait there until   
nightfall. Buffy rejected the idea, and wanted them to split up. She would hide out   
in the basement at home, sorting out a weapons bag. Spike disagreed, wanting   
to be involved in every stage of the plan. So they walked in uneasy silence   
through the sewage tunnels that would eventually end outside the Slayer's   
house.  
  
"I hate the sewers."   
  
"I suppose the smell doesn't do anything for their popularity."   
  
"And the bad memories."   
  
"You have bad memories which involve sewers? Do they also involve getting   
completely pissed, because I don't see how..."   
  
"Angel broke up with me in a sewer."   
  
Spike gave a bitter little laugh.  
  
"He really knew how to make the moment special, didn't he?"   
  
Buffy felt a small flame of indignation on behalf of her ex.  
  
"And where would you break up with me, if you were him?"   
  
The peroxide blond turned to face her, eyes looking straight into hers. The   
expression on his face was one of complete honesty.  
  
"I wouldn't break up with you at all."   
  
He carried on walking, and she stood still for a moment. For a few seconds she'd   
seen something deeper, something that was lying just beneath the surface of   
Spike's skin.  
  
~ It couldn't be love. Not from him, not for me. ~   
  
She quickened her own pace to catch up with him.  
  
~ And even if it was, if it wasn't just obsession or fixation or something less...real,   
then what? How would it change anything? I don't love Spike...I can barely stand   
him. He's beneath me. He's evil and he doesn't care about anyone but   
himself...everything he does is selfish. This whole prophesy thing involves him   
too. He needs me to help him, and that's all there is too it. Nothing further.   
Nothing deeper. ~   
  
The memory of him pushing her to the floor, probably saving her life, resurfaced   
and played on what felt like a never ending reel in her mind.  
  
"Spike? Where are you..."   
  
She ran a little way ahead, sure that she'd see the familiar blond head, smell the   
once hated scent of cigarettes and leather.  
  
"This really isn't the time for hide and seek, you idiot. Come on, my feet are   
getting cold. Spike?"  
  
There was something crumpled on the floor in front of her.  
  
It was an old leather duster.  
  
*****   
Giles pulled off his glasses and rubbed his forehead. Anya's eyes widened, and   
Xander made a small choking noise.   
  
"She said....what?"   
  
Dawn sighed. "She said, don't tell Giles or any of the others about this. It's   
something Spike and I have to do...I don't know why him, or why me....it just   
happened. That really sounds like she and him are...like.."   
  
"Involved in a sexually fulfilling relationship?"   
  
"Anya...please.."  
  
Xander just stared straight ahead.  
  
"Buffy....and Spike? I just can't see...how?"   
  
Dawn shrugged. "Well, he has kinda been hanging around a lot lately. Outside   
the house, inside the house, all hours of the night..."   
  
"Inside the house? When?"   
  
"Well, last night, after this demon totally trashed her room, they said they'd go   
and fight it together."  
  
Giles looked up. "Demon? What did it do?"  
  
"Burn everything."  
  
"Oh dear...she was concerned about this fire demon...this 'relationship' with   
Spike can't help...she must be very confused.."   
  
"What about Riley?" Anya stated. "He only left a few days ago. They must have   
got in on pretty quick, unless..."   
  
"She was going behind Riley's back? That's hardly likely. They simply must have   
'got it on', as you so eloquently put it, fairly recently."  
  
They all turned to look at Xander. He continued to mouth three words.  
  
"Buffy and....Spike."  
  
Anya tilted her head to one side thoughtfully, and spoke.  
  
"It sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon."  
  
*****  
  
Buffy wrinkled her nose as she picked up the duster. It was heavy, slightly moist   
from the sewer, and had a distinct smell.  
  
~ Cigarettes and alcohol. Distinctly Spike. And I bet if I was a vampire, I'd smell   
blood. Ick. ~  
  
She sighed, and slipped it on over her thin jacket. It was too heavy to carry. Buffy   
pulled the leather around her, surprised at how soft it was, considering that the   
bleached blonde wore it constantly. The smoky scent made her nostrils flare at   
first, but after a while she didn't notice it.   
  
"Right. Clues, clues where are the clues?"  
  
She scanned the floor of the sewer, and frowned.  
  
"No clues. There's always clues!"  
  
Cautiously she worked her hands along the brick walls either side, wincing   
whenever she touched something that was decidedly....sticky.   
  
"Okay. This is now officially gross," she remarked, plunging her hands into the   
sewage slime beneath her feet. "I hope you appreciate all of this when I find you."   
  
~ Spike's not exactly the appreciative type. ~  
  
Grimacing, Buffy was about to withdraw her hands when she felt something. A   
heavy metal ring, attached to a small iron square.  
  
"A trapdoor. Great. This is so Phantom of the Opera." Buffy grabbed the ring, and   
pulled. It opened with a splash, spraying the dirty water over her face and hair.   
There was no ladder, just a black hole beneath her feet. She took a deep breath,   
and tried to wipe some of the slime away from her face. "I just hope there's a   
bathroom down there. Because I'm starting to look like I belong in a B-movie. As   
the monster."  
  
Buffy jumped.  
  
*****  
  
Spike's eyes opened. They didn't flutter open. He didn't groan, and he didn't put   
his hand to the growing bruise on his forehead. He didn't swear, even though he   
really wanted to. Spike opened his eyes and listened.  
  
*****  
  
She fell. It had started as a controlled jump, and had stopped being controlled   
when her feet didn't touch the floor. The duster fanned out behind her, and for a   
dizzy moment it occurred to her that she must look like a dark angel, flying   
through the blackness to find him.  
  
  
*****  
  
He listened, and all he heard was the sound of silence. Then he looked up.   
Something black was falling towards him, with a halo of golden hair. It was like   
an angel falling from some kind of broken heaven, and it was going to hit the   
concrete floor.  
  
*****  
  
Spike yelled.  
  
Buffy hit.  
  
*****  
  
They walked to Giles' house in silence. Willow was still trying to understand what   
had happened to her best friend, and the others were simply deep in thought.   
Dawn had gone home, had promised to call if Buffy returned. She wasn't at   
home, hadn't been to the university, the bronze, the town, the magic box. They'd   
even tried Spike's tomb. It was also empty. Which had suggested that they were   
together. Somewhere.  
  
"Maybe we should stop looking." That was from Tara.  
  
Four heads turned to face her.  
  
"If...if she and Spike are...together, together, then she should be safe...right?"  
  
Giles sighed. "You're quite right...he can't hurt her anyway. I'm just worried..."   
  
"That he'll take advantage of her when she's at her most vulnerable and leave   
her a wreck who's unable to slay so if this fire thing comes back it'll kill us all and   
kill her and Spike will once again have managed to ruin our lives?" Xander took a   
deep breath. "Well?"  
  
Four heads nodded.  
  
****  
  
She hit with a sickening crunch of bones and flesh. He inhaled the scent of   
freshly spilled blood, her blood. It was intoxicating and distracting, but he fought   
against his instincts.   
  
Spike crawled over to her body. The first thing he noticed was that she was   
wearing his duster. ~No time to think. Just do.~ Her eyes were shut, and she lay   
in a twisted position on the floor. The vampire slid his hands up her top, ran them   
along her spine, almost caressing the bones underneath her soft skin. No   
damage. He moved on to her legs and her arms.   
  
"Shit."   
  
Her left leg was broken, and she was losing blood from it. The bone was poking   
through the skin, ivory against crimson. He laid his hands nervously on the break,   
and hoped that she could heal quickly. He also hoped for the first time that she   
was unconscious. No-one should have to feel this.  
  
There was a moment of...unpleasantness. ~Don't think. Just do.~ Then he tore a   
strip of material from his shirt and bound the wound. She seemed to be otherwise   
okay, apart from multiple bruises and scratches.  
  
~Stupid Slayer. Shouldn't have come after me. Should've left me here.~  
  
Spike rested her head on his lap, and absentmindedly stroked her forehead.   
They were in a large cavern, which stretched out around them for what seemed   
like miles. Spike knew he should be trying to find a way out, but he couldn't leave   
Buffy. Wouldn't leave her.  
  
Buffy came back into the conscious world, and was greeted by unmentionable   
pain from her left leg.  
  
~Probably broken.~  
  
She didn't open her eyes immediately, because she was momentarily soothed by   
the cool hand on her forehead.   
  
~Did they find me? Am I at home, with Mom?~  
  
That was just wishful thinking. The hard, wet floor told her otherwise. Still, it was   
nice to pretend, for a little while. So she just lay there for a few seconds, letting   
Spike comfort her.  
  
~But I have to wake up. And I don't like him, I don't...so I have to push him   
away.~  
  
It took every ounce of her strength to do so.  
  
"Slayer! Don't move...your leg.."   
  
"It's my leg Spike, I think I know it...."   
  
She bit her lip to keep from screaming, and fell back against the floor. He moved   
towards her, but she rejected him again. They were both quiet for a moment.  
  
"Why did you jump down the hole? Bloody stupid thing..."   
  
"I was looking for you!"   
  
"You should've gone to get a ladder.."  
  
"You might have been...dead, I don't know....I just know that we...need each   
other, now."   
  
"So let me...help you."   
  
Another uneasy alliance formed. His touch was more gentle than she had ever   
imagined it could be, and she was forced to lean heavily on him. They moved   
slowly across the cavern. It was so dark that any regular person would have   
been instantly lost. As it was, her Slayer enhanced eyesight could only make out   
dim shapes in the darkness, vague suggestions of rocks and walls and...some of   
them seemed to move...Spike stopped. Another few seconds and she could tell   
why.  
  
The fetid stench of death filled their nostrils. Buffy thought she saw Spike   
momentarily vamp out, before regaining control. He looked at her.  
  
"Do you want me to go on? Leave you here, hop-a-long?"  
  
She scowled.  
  
"Not likely. Let you have all the fun?"  
  
They walked hesitantly towards the source of the smell. It increased in its   
intensity, and Buffy felt nauseous. It all seemed to stem from a small opening in   
the cavern wall. Small, that is, compared to the rest of the place. It was a hole   
about six foot high.  
  
"Well, looks like neither of us are gonna have to hunch." Buffy said brightly.   
  
Spike glared. "Good job I'm not some great hulking lunk like Captain Cardboard   
or the Poof then, isn't it?"   
  
Buffy smiled, knowing she'd struck a raw nerve. "I never really understood the   
male preoccupation with size."  
  
"Stop quoting Titanic at me and shut up."   
  
"I don't believe it...you saw Titanic?"  
  
*****  
  
Giles shook his head in despair. The door to his house was still horizontally on   
the floor. It should be vertically in the doorframe. Willow shrugged. "Nothing   
seems to have been stolen."   
  
"Guys! Look!"  
  
Xander seemed to have come out of his mood when he saw the damage at   
Giles' place. He was currently waving a book at them. "Look! It's a book...all   
about....duhduhduh...William the bloody."   
  
Giles snatched it. "Why would they be reading up on him?"  
  
Anya rolled her eyes. "Maybe it was Buffy? Seeing as how they're..."   
  
"Yes, alright, enough with the continued imagery, thankyou.."   
  
"Xander, she didn't say anything..."   
  
"She made a hand gesture."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Tara cleared her throat. "Um...there's another book...Watcher's Diary...Elizabeth   
Scott." Giles looked up. "Oh, we won't need that. It probably just fell out of the   
bookcase. She died when she was approaching twenty, some kind of fire....fire."   
  
"As in fire demon?"  
  
"As in fire demon."  
  
There was a long moment of silence as everybody considered what Giles had   
just said. A Slayer. Dead. And a fire demon had been involved.  
  
"I still don't see what the William the Bloody book has to do with anything..."  
  
*****  
Dead bodies lined the walls. Some were bone, others covered in fleshy remains.   
Spike felt uneasy, and he supposed the slayer found it distasteful, to say the   
least. He had decided that the sweet distraction of her body pressed against his   
had to be ignored if they were to stand any chance of making it through alive.  
  
~She still hates me. Pushed me away, didn't want my help. I'm stupid, and I was   
right the first time. I don't stand a chance. Not now, not ever, and I've been a   
right idiot. Thinking she could ever let me be with her. Could ever love me...I   
should go back to what I was. Her enemy. Hating her. Then it'll be easy, after all   
this is over, to just leave.~  
  
Spike abruptly moved Buffy further away from his body. She looked at him.  
  
"What?"   
  
"Getting a bit too close for comfort, Slayer. We hate each other, remember? Not   
exactly snuggle-buddies."   
  
"I know! And I wasn't snuggling..."   
  
"Yes you were. Only to be expected I suppose."   
  
Spike readied himself mentally. ~I hope this works.~  
  
"I mean, I was right, telling corn-boy you liked your men a little bumpy in the head   
area."   
  
Silence. A few drops of water splashed to the floor. Each drop sounded loud as a   
drum in the all consuming silence.  
  
"You stupid idiot!"   
  
She pushed him hard and he fell back against the wall. Buffy moved towards him   
stiffly, her eyes shining with anger.  
  
"You....you made him do it...made him let them all drink from him...he wanted it   
for me...I hate you!"  
  
~Believe whatever you like, luv.~   
  
Then she hit him, hard in the face. Turned away, arms folded. Spike had to really   
try and restrain himself from hitting her back, from making her bleed...a trickle of   
blood ran from his split lip. Spike licked it away, and spoke again.   
  
"Bitch. You hate me? Old news Sla...."   
  
"Don't talk to me. Ever. Again. I really do hate you. I despise you. You're the   
lowest of the low. Too pathetic to be staked."  
  
And her words were so filled with venom they stung. Leaving him speechless,   
frozen. If the chip wasn't there, he couldn't have snapped her neck then. Those   
words had cut. Right to the bone.   
  
Buffy started to walk again. Her leg was still stiff, but it had already begun to heal.   
Hurt like hell without him to prop her up. She felt like spitting at him.  
  
~Riley felt he had to be something darker to be part of my life....god, why did   
Spike say that...he just likes causing trouble for everyone. But...it isn't all his   
fault. I suppose...I've been trying to find out more about who I am...am I   
something dark? Something rooted in darkness? Because it just seems like   
everyone I ever loved I...destroyed.~  
  
Filled with self-loathing, the slayer barely noticed the tunnel forked into two   
directions. She mindlessly took the left fork, caught up in her own thoughts.  
  
Spike lay against the wall.  
  
~She's right. I am pathetic.~  
  
Well, the first step in not being pathetic was to stop feeling sorry for himself and   
do something. Spike decided to get up, go after the Slayer, and tell her that he   
loved her.  
  
~Then it'll be off my chest. And she'll still hate me, but I won't have any reason to   
stay...oh yeah. The bloody prophecy, dragon thing. Damn.~  
  
Oblivious to the outside world, Spike speculated over the different meanings of   
the prophesy. And took the right fork.  
  
*****  
  
Xander splashed along the sewers.  
  
"Tell me again why we had to enter the Tunnel of Twisted Spike and Buffy Sewer   
Love? Because it smells...really bad."   
  
Giles wrinkled his nose at the smell, and pressed on.  
  
"Because it's daytime, and Spike obviously can't walk around without drawing   
attention to himself. How many people theses days look like Billy Idol?"   
  
"And the spontaneous combustion things just a minor side effect, right?"  
  
Giles and Willow glared at Xander. Anya waved at them al from further down the   
sewer.  
  
"Giles, did you bring some rope in that bag?"   
  
"Yes....why? Have you found something?"   
  
"I think they went down there."  
  
The other four crowded around the open trapdoor. Floating in the sewage gunk   
next to it was a cigarette butt, and a faint vanilla smell that was masked by the   
sewer.  
  
Willow shrugged. "That's all the leads we've got. So I guess it's abseiling time.   
How far down is it?"  
  
Tara picked up a sizeable rock, and threw it into the trapdoor.  
  
They waited for it to hit.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
Xander moved from foot to foot, uncomfortably. "Do you think anyone'll mind me   
taking a leak in the sewers? It's just like...cutting out the middle man, I   
suppose..."   
  
"Quiet!"   
  
There was a dull thud. They all exchanged looks, and with a resigned sigh Giles   
began to unload the climbing gear.  
  



	4. Double Destiny

A/N Okay, I've gone back to using to indicate thoughts. As always, thanks for   
any reviews. Here we go!  
  
  
Buffy stiffly walked for what seemed like hours. There were no more hideously   
decaying corpses, no scent of burnt flesh, nothing. Just endless black tunnel that   
stretched on forever. She wondered where Spike was, and had started to regret   
leaving him back there.   
  
Something might have happened to him. And if it has, that means I'm alone   
down here. With a broken leg.   
  
The pain had gone from intense to dull, and although she was sure it was still   
badly hurt, it seemed to have healed a little bit. Buffy caught her foot on a rock,   
and the leg became aflame with searing hurt.  
  
"Ahhh!"   
  
She dropped to the floor, and the pain subsided. Still, it was nice to have a rest.   
Buffy noticed that her voice sounded echoey. Looking around, she realised that   
she was in some kind of cavern. Smaller than the one she and Spike idiot   
had crossed earlier, she decided to explore. In another minute or so. Sighing,   
Buffy decided to inspect her injured leg. Someone had wrapped a piece of   
material around the break, and it had soaked up most of the blood.  
  
"The someone being Spike, of course. Stupid vampire."  
  
With a sob of pain that came from provoking the wound she unwound the   
material, and saw that he'd ripped it from his shirt, the dumb red one he wore all   
the time. She held it in her hands for a moment, then put it on the floor of the   
cavern, ripping a fresh strip from her top. It left her stomach exposed, and she   
wrapped the duster tightly around her.  
  
Spike's stupid duster. That he wears all the time, except now , because I got   
it…why didn't he take it back? When we argued, he only needed to   
ask…probably being all gentlemanly…okay, that wasn't much of an insult.   
  
As she sat there, Buffy thought about all the other times Spike had helped her.   
  
Okay, he hasn't helped me that much…only when his own butt needed   
saving…stupid selfish pig. Just because he can't hit anyone any more doesn't   
mean he has to hurt them in other ways…   
  
She stood up, and scanned the cavern. It was still pretty big. Inhalation of the air   
proved in to be stale. Then there was a noise.  
  
"Ple…" It broke into a hacking cough.  
  
Buffy wasn't alone. Too caught up in her own mind, she'd failed to sense the   
presence of any demon.  
  
Wait a minute. I'm not sensing a demon. Could it be…another human?   
  
She whirled around, and confronted the person. A sharp intake of breath   
betrayed Buffy's surprise. The woman standing in front of her was ancient. Long   
and dirty grey hair swept the floor. Her back was hunched, and she shuffled   
painfully. Thin wrists were bound in shackles, and her clothes were thin. The face   
was lined deeply by the years, and fine wrinkles covered every bare patch of   
skin. The Slayer stared into the hag's eyes. They were beautiful…shocking   
contrast to the age and decay…a vibrant, laughing shade of green…  
  
Buffy's vision pushed its way forward, through all the Spike thoughts, to the front   
of her mind. And she knew at once who this woman was.  
  
"You…you're her. The Dragon Slayer."  
  
*****  
  
"Please…" Interrupted by another cough. "Please, child. Come with me."   
  
The slayer's eyes widened as the woman led her across the cavern to a   
seemingly innocent wall. It swung aside silently to reveal a small, bare room. a   
prison cell. The old woman gestured towards the single chair, and Buffy sat on it.   
She watched as the Dragon Slayer shuffled over to the bed, and carefully sat on   
it.  
  
"So. You've found me."   
  
Her eyes twinkled, and Buffy saw the kindness there. She leaned forward   
hesitantly.  
  
"I…guess I have. I still don't really know what I'm doing here…what I was looking   
for…"   
  
"You were looking for your destiny. Tell me, did you find him?"   
  
"Who, my destiny?"   
  
"No…the other Chosen One."   
  
"Okay…Buffy is confused. Perhaps we should start at the beginning."   
  
The old woman's laugh quickly turned into another massive cough. Buffy stared   
and ran to the small jug on the side. She poured a glass of water, and the woman   
took it thankfully.  
  
"To start at the beginning…I don't think I have much time…left."   
  
"You're…you're dying?"   
  
"No. But your future is."  
  
Buffy gave a nervous laugh. "Look, I'm no Willow…so you have to talk in the   
simple language. I..I don't even know your name.."   
  
"Lucille. Lucy to my friends…we must start now. I have...a story to tell you. It will   
explain."  
  
And she began to talk. And Buffy began to listen.  
  
"It started roughly one hundred years ago. The former Slayer was dead, killed in   
China by a vampire. I was called, and I was both ready and willing for my duties.   
I had been taken away from my family by the Watcher's Council since I was six   
years old. My Watcher was the only real family and companion I had. I was   
alone…it was the belief that a slayer should stand alone, laugh death in the face.   
So I began my term as the Vampire Slayer. I was good. One of the best. It is only   
the best that are strong enough…but I move ahead of myself. Well, one day, I   
met a vampire. He was strong and evil, but fast and clever. I couldn't kill him,   
although I tried my hardest….so very hard. It was a Sunday when it happened,   
as I recall. I was tracking him through the woods, when a blast of flame knocked   
me from my feet. I cried out, then lay still. From the corners of my eyes, I saw   
him standing there, and a huge beast flying away, far into the night sky. I told my   
Watcher, but he didn't believe me. Then the Council seized me. They informed   
me that I was discharged from their service, and was no longer a Vampire   
Slayer. I was one of the Chosen Two. Once in every century, the Dragon Slayers   
are called. Two beings, one of the dark and one of the light, who are of skill and   
strength surpassing none. They alone can fight the dragons, and they alone will   
stand against them…"   
  
"This vampire…the one you hated…"   
  
"Jameson? Yes. He was the other Slayer. Our destinies had been entwined from   
the start…a Slayer and vampire combined to create the most powerful fighting   
machine to stand against the most powerful monsters...the dragons.""  
  
"So...what happened?"   
  
"I was removed from the lineage of Slayers. Another Chosen One was called, as   
though I were dead. My Watcher's Diaries were destroyed, and my name erased   
from history. Jameson's was too. A notorious killer in his day…now it's as though   
he never existed."   
  
"And I've been picked for the job. Oh, how wonderful for me. and the Watcher's   
Council never came to me about it…well, they wouldn't would they, because I   
quit…"  
  
Buffy clenched her hands together tightly. If what Lucille told her was true, then it   
meant giving up school, her home, her family, her friends, her entire life to kill   
dragons. And spend eternity in the company of…  
  
"Wait a minute. The Chosen Two...they have to stick together?"   
  
"Oh yes. It's easy to become insane, spending days alone, only killing. Always   
killing."   
  
The Slayer felt like screaming. Why Spike? The powers That Be must really   
have it in for me. Why him, of all vampires…wait. Just because he had a   
vision…that doesn't mean anything!   
  
"How did you…uh…know that it was Jameson? That he was the Yin to your   
Yang?"  
  
"He was the only other one that saw the dragon. He was the only one that   
believed me. And…and…"   
  
"And what?"   
  
"We did hate each other, yes. But the moment we fought the first dragon   
together, we knew. We made a connection."  
  
"Were you in love?"   
  
Lucille stared, shocked by the straight forward manner of this girl. She seemed   
strong enough, but seemed uneducated in the ways of the Slayer. Quitting the   
Council? And all this talk of love, of passion…it was as though she hadn't let the   
slaying consume her…as though she were almost human…  
  
"Well? Were you?"   
  
"No…we…became great friends. But Slayers never…"   
  
"Never love? Never break the rules? Guess I'm not meant for the job after all…"  
  
She sensed the girl's unease. Grabbed her hands. Looked her straight in the   
eye, with a piercing glare.   
  
"You were born to do this. It is an honour. Not simply a Slayer, but the best in her   
lifetime? You've surely felt…the thrill of the slay…the feeling when everything   
works as it should…everything to it's own natural harmony…"   
  
Buffy nodded, spellbound.  
  
"This is the ultimate kill. The only way to live. You were built for this, and you   
were made for each other…it is destined. Can't you see now?"   
  
The Slayer blinked. Understanding filled her mind, and she felt older somehow.   
  
"I see."  
  
*****  
  
"I can't see a bloody...thing!" Spike yelled, stamping along the tunnel. It wasn't   
night black, but so dark that it was constantly uncomfortable for his eyes. He   
blinked, and felt a surge of pure anger that he hadn't felt since…well, since he'd   
started to play it up to the Slayer. Since he'd started wanting to make her fall in   
love with him.  
  
"Stupid sod!" He punctuated each word with a solid kick to the stone wall.  
  
"I…love…the…Slayer! And…she…hates…me!   
I…don't…want…to…kill…her…but…if…   
she…doesn't…make…this…pain…stop…I…might...HAVE TO!"   
  
He screamed the last two words, and they echoed around the tunnel. Spike   
stooped kicking, and stood back, running his hands through his hair. He suddenly   
realised that he was cold, and that his duster was missing.  
  
Oh yeah. The Slayer was wearing it. Hoo-bloody-ray.   
  
The tunnel had forked yet again, and although he'd decided long ago that the   
Slayer wasn't in this tunnel, he carried on. The stench of death was less   
profound, although the scent of blood had increased. Humans always thought   
that blood smelt like rotting bodies. How wrong they were…it was like the   
sweetest perfume, heavy and intoxicating…they described its taste like copper,   
but to him it was pure gold…  
  
Something moved in the shadows.  
  
"What the…"   
  
"Hello."   
  
Spike spun around. He couldn't see the creature, but it spoke English.  
  
"Alright mate, why don't you come out. On second thoughts, don't bother. I won't   
be able to see you anyway in this bloody gloom. I'll keep walking, you stay here,   
and everybody's.."   
  
Spike's hand snaked out, quicker than a viper's strike, and closed around the   
creature's neck.   
  
"Happy."  
  
He held him aloft, and knew that it was a vampire. A male vampire, somewhere   
between three or four centuries old. And that was old. With age came respect,   
and because Spike had never followed the rules this fact made him tighten his   
grip. He thought he heard a choked chuckle, and the other vampire spoke.  
  
"Put…me…down."   
  
"Why? Don't you like flying?"   
  
Spike waved the vampire around in the air. For all his age he was   
extremely…light.  
  
Another hoarse chuckle. "Only if it's on the back of a dragon."  
  
Spike dropped him as though he were a cross.  
  
"Who the hell are you? What do you know about dragons? And do you   
know…why I'm here?"   
  
"I'm Jameson. I know more about dragons than anyone else alive…there used to   
be another…but she's gone. And you're here because you made a connection."   
  
The older vampire Jameson laughed again gleefully, youthfully, and ran   
away. Spike sighed, exasperated, and followed.  
  
Jameson rounded the corner and leaned against the wall of his cavern. He had   
been forced to abandon his human visage years ago, and his vampiric ridges   
made the frown lines deeper. He thought again of the young vampire chasing   
him, and his brow creased once more, this time in frustration. This one was a   
rebel without a cause. He disobeyed the rules, and he talked back.   
  
"But he is the strongest. The best. Has the world changed so much since I   
walked on it?"  
  
Spike heard the whispered words as he rounded the corner.  
  
Is he talking about me? The strongest. The best? He felt a sudden rush of   
adrenaline at the thought. Jameson looked at him, and Spike stared back.  
  
"We need…we need…"   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"We need to start…at the beginning."  
  
*****  
  
"Heads up!"  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Xander landed on the floor of the enormous chamber with a thud. His friends all   
looked at him, and he shrugged.  
  
"Just trying to lighten the…"   
  
"I mean it! Be quiet."  
  
Giles looked anxious. Xander frowned. Anxious meant trouble. But then so did   
most of Giles' facial expressions…  
  
Willow pointed. "I think I saw something over there…a raised stone…perhaps a   
plinth?"   
  
"Shhhhhhh!"  
  
They all looked at him again.  
  
"What? Willow can talk, but the second I open my mouth you all make out like   
we're in avalanche country. Well, newsflash. We aren't. Watch. HELLO? HI? IS   
ANYBODY THERE?"  
  
Deep in the bowels of the cavern, something stirred.  
  
"Xander!" Anya punched him. Hard.  
  
He nearly yelled, but Giles made a warning sign. A very definite warning sign. So   
he didn't say a word. Giles motioned for them all to investigate the raised plinth.   
Tara opened her mouth as she ran her hands over the figure on top.   
  
It was an ornately decorated dragon.  
  
Excited whispers filled the air.  
  
"She told me it was a dragon…why couldn't I just be more open-minded…"   
  
"I mean, this is the Hellmouth, what do you expect…"   
  
"If only we'd listened…"   
  
"I bet Spike listened. I bet he provided a very convenient shoulder to cry on…"  
  
"Oh, Xander, shut up!"   
  
"Dragons...this is so exciting…and new…"  
  
They all noticed four things at about the same time. Firstly, that Xander had shut   
up, and was staring at a fixed point behind them all in a decidedly disturbing   
manner. Secondly, that the clicking noise they'd all dismissed as imagination or   
nerves had almost certainly been claws. Thirdly, that the flapping gusts of wind   
they'd all dismissed as imagination or nerves had almost certainly been caused   
by wings.  
  
Fourthly, that the claws and wings almost certainly belonged to an enormous, fire   
snorting, bonafide, standing right behind them, dragon.  



	5. Dance With Me

Buffy stood up, helping Lucille to her feet.   
  
"Thankyou. For helping me to understand. I'll get you out."  
  
"He is powerful...Jameson and I couldn't defeat him…"   
  
"And that's why another Dragon Slayer hasn't been called properly."   
  
"Your premonitions…led you here. You aren't the Dragon Slayer yet. Be careful."   
  
There was a sudden chorus of screams. The Slayer's eyes widened.   
  
"Trouble. It sounds like…but it can't be…"   
  
"Can't be who?"   
  
"My friends.."   
  
Lucille shook her head again in amazement. She clasped Buffy's hands with her   
own.  
  
"You have more to loose than most…I'm sorry."   
  
Buffy tried to smile. She pictured her friend's faces, and instinct kicked in. She   
had to save them. See them one last time.  
  
"I'm sorry too."  
  
*****  
  
"I'm the Slayer? The bloody Slayer?"   
  
"Not the Slayer. A Slayer. And a Dragon Slayer at that."   
  
"And I have to spend the rest of my unlife helping the Slayer?"   
  
"She's not the Slayer. She's a Slayer too."   
  
"Of course she's a Slayer. So the Slayer and I…"  
  
"Are both Slayers."   
  
"The Slayer's really going to hate that…"  
  
There was a sudden chorus of screams. Spike looked up.  
  
"I'd recognise that girlish squeal anywhere."   
  
"The Slayer?"   
  
"Xander."   
  
Jameson looked puzzled, and Spike sighed.   
  
"Suppose I'd better go and help. For the last time…"   
  
"Be careful. The dragon that imprisoned me here is very strong…you haven't yet   
acquired your full powers.."   
  
Spike turned to go, then stopped.  
  
"One more thing. What the hell happened to your Slayer?"   
  
Jameson looked sad. "She's dead, I suppose. When Darius captured me, she   
tried to fight…he struck her down."   
  
Spike shrugged, and left. Jameson looked down the tunnel after him and sighed.   
  
"This is the last time I do this. Insolent young idiot…"   
  
And followed the bleached blonde.  
  
*****  
  
Willow stirred. She felt groggy, and realised that she couldn't move.  
  
Oh no. I'm paralysed. I'll have to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, and   
some old nurse will have to bathe me, and I'll wither away into nothing…I'll never   
run again…   
  
She then realised that Giles was lying unconscious on her arm, with Anya and   
Xander covering the rest of her body. There was no sign of Tara, which   
immediately worried her.   
  
"Guys. Guys! Wake up, please wake up, I can't do this by myself…"   
  
Funny. I don't know how the dragon got us here…I don't remember anything   
except the bit where it flew at us…   
  
Something moved in the corner of her vision. She turned her head and stared at   
it.  
  
It was Tara.  
  
"Tara! Thank God…I thought t had eaten you or something…"   
  
"Where are the Slayers?"   
  
Willow's eyes widened at the voice Tara spoke with. It was dry and   
hissing…almost… reptilian. Her lover's eyes glowed, burning blue   
orbs…burning…  
  
"You're…am I talking to…the dragon?"   
  
"I am Darius. Older than the mountains, stronger than the wind. Where are the   
Slayers, girl?"   
  
"You mean Buffy and…Faith?"  
  
"One more time…"   
  
"Okay! Buffy's here, somewhere, and Faith's…Faith's in prison."   
  
"You lie. You dare to lie to me, child?"   
  
Willow could feel the nervous tears roll down her face as Tara dragged her from   
underneath the bodies of her friends with unnatural grace and strength.   
Supernatural.  
  
"Please…you don't know what you're doing…Tara! Tara…if you're   
there...please!" Her voice broke and she started to sob as the blonde girl's hands   
closed about Willow's throat.  
  
"Again. Where are the Slayers?"   
  
"Tara…please…"   
  
The hands tightened their grip. Willow's breath caught in her throat, and she tried   
to scream, cry out. In the deepest shadows she thought she saw a dragging tail   
and the faintest breath of smoke.  
  
"I….love…you…"   
  
"Where. Are. They."   
  
"I don't know about all this they stuff, but I'm right here."   
  
Tara dropped the red head to the floor. She rubbed at the bruises on her neck,   
and looked up through tearstained eyes. Buffy stood before the normally shy   
blonde. Tara just stood there, glaring at the Slayer. Then a satisfied smile   
crossed her face. She walked closer.   
  
"So this is the human. Passionate, fiery, a perfect candidate…shall we?"   
  
"Shall we what?"   
  
"Dance."   
  
Tara planted a hand on Buffy's chest and pushed her. She stumbled and fell to   
the floor. The taller girl moved with amazing speed to grab the Slayer's arm. It   
was almost as if she flew…Tara twisted Buffy's arm behind her back. A grim   
smile flashed across the Slayer's face. She flipped Tara over her head, then   
delivered a series of kicks to the girl's midriff.  
  
"Looks like someone's got two left feet. Oh whoops. It's me."   
  
Buffy punched Tara hard in the face, twice.   
  
"Got two left hooks as well."   
  
The other girl slumped to the floor. Her mouth opened and a burst of flame shot   
out. Willow's eyes widened as charcoal surrounded Tara's mouth. She crawled   
over to her and held her tightly.  
  
"Thanks Buffy...the others.."   
  
"Are now fully conscious." Giles looked groggily into the darkness. "I don't think   
it's over yet."  
  
A low rumbling filled the cavern. Anya clung to Xander, and the Scoobies all   
turned their heads to the far corner of the cavern. The sound died away, and   
Buffy saw something approaching in the darkness.  
  
"Here we go…Spike?"   
  
"Alright Slayer…and now you can say that to me…"   
  
"Spike!"  
  
Buffy screamed as a large black shape plucked him from the ground.   
It…flew…with alarming speed to where the Slayerettes were standing, and   
dropped Spike on to the floor. He didn't move. Buffy looked up, and saw the   
black shape slowly descend.  
  
Heavy claws touched rocky ground.  
  
Darius was magnificent. Flame red claws with wicked sharp points. Smooth black   
scales with jet black wings. Eyes like obsidian and teeth like icicles. A slender   
body, covered in muscle and catlike grace.   
  
She had not been prepared for this. And she was not prepared to fight alone.  
  
Spike didn't want to open his eyes. He wanted to lie there on the floor and wait   
until the Slayer had done her job. This was one fight he didn't want.  
  
Listen to yourself. That bloody chips done more than neuter you…it's made you   
loose your edge! Spike always wants a fight…and I can't let the Slayer do her   
job. Now it's my job too."   
  
The bloody holes in his back had started to close, but he felt stiff and awkward.   
With a loud groan he staggered to his feet and glared at Buffy.  
  
Her fault. If she wasn't so damn delectable…none of this would've happened. I   
wouldn't be chipped. I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be in love with her.   
  
Buffy glared back.  
  
His fault. If he wasn't so persistent…none of this would've happened. He   
wouldn't have come back to kill me. I wouldn't have to talk to him. Spend the rest   
of my life with him…   
  
"Howdy pardner."   
  
"Shut up Spike."   
  
"Shut up yourself. What is it you say? Let's…kill."   
  
"I normally say let's slay…but that works for me."   
  
The two blondes assumed fighting stances. Both poised and powerful. Darius   
stared. His pointed snout leaned closer to inspect these two. They weren't   
Dragon Slayers. Just two lesser beings.  
  
Buffy gave an almost imperceptible nod of the head at the same time as Spike.   
She stopped and tried again. He did the same. Infuriated, she hissed at him.  
  
"What are you doing?"   
  
"Showing you it's time to go."   
  
"I was doing that!"  
  
"Who said you got to do it?"   
  
"Me! I'm the Slayer!"   
  
"I'm a Slayer too now, Slayer."   
  
Darius cocked his head to one side. The two creatures continued to argue. He   
snorted and a small fireball exploded above their heads. They looked up.  
  
"What?"   
  
"What?"   
  
"Youssss are ssstupid. I willssss eassssily killssssss youssss. Ssssslayers are a   
teamssss."   
  
"Sssssss to you too."   
  
"Hey Sssssspike. Are you ready to kill the ssssstupid dragon now?"   
  
"Ready Sssssslayer."   
  
Buffy nearly laughed, before she realised that she and Spike had just done   
something.  
  
We made up an in-joke. Our first Dragon Slayer in-joke…this is like a big   
thing…   
  
She fell to the floor as Darius' tail hit her hard in the side.   
  
Spike flipped over the swinging tail and changed into vamp face. Buffy looked up   
from the ground.  
  
"Let the games…sssssss…begin."  
  
*****  
  
Jameson stopped at the end of the tunnel. He had never managed to get past   
Darius before. He hadn't tried very hard.   
  
After Lucille died…there was no point.   
  
He saw a small flare of fire. It briefly lit up the centre of the cavern, and allowed   
him to see three things. Spike was standing next to a small blonde girl.   
  
The other Slayer.   
  
They had an audience of five other people.  
  
They must be the Slayer's friends.   
  
Spike and the Slayer had started to fight Darius. And they were losing. As he   
knew they would.  
  
*****  
Lucille felt a strong urge to run after the girl, but the shackles stopped her. She   
strained with all her might, but she was old and the bonds were magick.   
  
"Stupid, stupid…the old must die before the next is called…"  
  
Suddenly the shackles dropped to the floor. Lucille moaned.  
  
He isn't concentrating on me anymore. Something else has got his full   
attention…the Slayers.   
  
She ran on unreliable legs, hoping that she wouldn't be too late.  
  
*****  
  
Spike saw Buffy fall victim to Darius' claws, and leapt on to the dragon's head. It   
roared in anger as his hit it repeatedly, then easily shook him off. He glanced at   
Buffy.  
  
"Is it…supposed…to...go as well as…this?"  
  
She looked puzzled. "I don't feel…any stronger. And there's no connection."   
  
They both leapt to their feet and Giles waved for their attention. While Buffy   
dodged Darius, Giles threw Spike two swords.  
  
"Where the hell did they come from?"   
  
Giles indicated the bag. "I came…er...prepared."  
  
Spike looked at the man appreciatively. "Thanks. Hey, Slayer…"   
  
She caught the sword and in one graceful move sliced one of the dragon's toes   
off. This time the roar was one of pain, and he flew high into the air. All was   
silent. The Slayers unknowingly moved closer to one another. Buffy felt faint, her   
leg still hurt and the sword was heavy. Spike had stopped bleeding but was   
swaying ever so slightly on his feet. When he felt her eyes on him, he continued   
to look skywards.  
  
"We…we're going to die, aren't we?"  
  
"I wanted to dance with you again. One last time."   
  
"Shall we?"  
  
Spike looked at Buffy, eyebrows raised. Then the familiar grin crossed his face.  
  
"I'd love too."   
  
And they faced each other, squaring off. Darius swooped down low, but they   
ducked. Concentrated solely on each other. He wondered what they were doing.   
And stayed to watch.  
  
*****  
  
Jameson was paralysed. The Slayers were fighting magnificently. Passionate   
blows, great swordmanship, full of grace and beauty. However, they were fighting   
each other.  
  
He hurried across the ground and called out.  
  
"Spike! Slayer! Stop!"  
  
Then another voice joined with his.  
  
"Buffy! Wait! Stop!"  
  
A voice, cracked and distorted with age that he would always know anywhere.  
  
"Lucille?"   
  
"Jameson?"   
  
The old woman turned to face the older vampire. He didn't wear his human ace,   
not anymore. The five friends of the Slayer didn't know which pair to watch. Their   
duelling companions or the older couple.  
  
He looked into her eyes. The only thing that hadn't changed.   
  
She sighed. "You know…what we have to do?"  
  
He held her hands. "I know."  
  
One crystalline tear rolled down her lined face. "I shouldn't be so…scared. I'm   
old. I should heave died when I was 24. Before all this…"   
  
"I'm glad we lived through it all. Or I would never have met you."  
  
The tears flowed fast and free. Jameson turned to the five onlookers.  
  
"Please. May I have a stake?"   
  
The oldest man looked uncertain, but the younger one quickly obliged. Jameson   
caught it. He pulled Lucille close to him, and gave her the stake. She pressed it   
against his chest. With one last look at the new Slayers, he tilted her head back.   
Sank his fangs into her neck.  
  
It hurt. Those two sharp teeth cutting into her flesh and through the vein. Lucille   
felt her own hot blood pumping out, away from her. With her dying breath she   
whispered to Jameson.  
  
"Good…bye. It wasn't such…a bad thing…"  
  
He turned to ash, and she slumped to the floor. The Scoobies crowded round the   
bodies, before they heard Buffy gasp and Spike growl.  
*****  
  
"We…we're going to die, aren't we?"  
  
"I wanted to dance with you. One last time."  
  
"Shall we?"   
  
He looked at her, surprised. Then the familiar wicked grin crossed his face.  
  
"I'd love to."   
  
Buffy and Spike circled one another. Her thoughts ran freely, and she moved on   
instinct alone.  
  
This is right. This feels right.   
  
Steel met steel as the swords moved in a blur. She jumped and arched her body   
like a cat, and he followed suit. It was a deadly dance, full of grace and evil. Men   
and women had done this since the beginning of time, though none so well. He   
invited and she accepted, bringing her sword to his neck. He trust and parried,   
moving her back. She leapt over his head and caught him from behind. Again the   
steel met, and they pushed against one another. Then the swords dropped to the   
floor.  
  
Buffy felt an enormous power flow through her veins. She felt more alive than   
ever before.  
  
Spike felt like he'd drunk from a Slayer. It was almost like breathing…pure   
exhilaration.  
  
Darius moved forward with sinuous style. He spoke again with slurred words.  
  
"Nowssss…youssss…fight messss, yessssss? Dragon Ssssslayersss?"  
  
The Slayers slowly bent to retrieve their weapons. And moved in a blur of speed.  
  
Connection.  
  
william…love and blood and poetry…fine thing to be love's   
bitch…slayer…god…I'll kill the slayer….love the slayer…love the kill…love the   
dance…the dance is everything…no-one else can compete…no-one accepts   
me…I'm lonely…so lonely  
  
buffy…love and death and feelings…sad…angry…hurt and betrayed…no-one   
cares…no-one stays…they all leave…they all do….spike's the only one who   
stayed…I want my family…my real family…I'm lonely…so lonely  
  
  
And then they knew that they'd never be alone anymore.  
  
She grabbed his hand. He looked at the dragon. They took a step back, balanced   
the swords, and did a back flip.  
  
Darius' eyes widened.  
  
Their feet kicked out, slammed through the hard wall of his skin, into his chest.  
  
The flashing swords cut into his wings, punctured them, made him less than   
whole. He was a lesser being.   
  
Blood filled the dragon's lungs and he couldn't breathe. The Dragon Slayers   
landed on their feet. Spike held on to Buffy's hand for a moment longer then was   
necessary, and then she let it go. Darius' body hit the floor.   
  
"Wow."   
  
"Shut up, Xander."  
  



	6. It Needs To Be

Buffy towelled her hair dry and sat down on the bed.  
  
Soft. Warm. Clean. Dry. All good things.   
  
After slaying Darius, the entire gang had trooped to Giles' house, where Spike   
and Buffy had related their story in full. Well, not quite in full. By silent agreement   
they had left out the argument about Riley, and the most painful bit. The bit   
where they had to leave. Buffy had tried to say something, but she just couldn't   
do it. Giles' eyes had shone with proud tears as he looked at her…the others had   
congratulated her on the achievement…and her mom had just looked happy to   
see her alive. There had been one odd thing about the whole conversation. For   
some reason, the other guys had thought that she and Spike were...together.   
She quickly set them right on that one, and had later found out that Dawn was   
responsible.   
  
Dawn.  
  
She was supposed to protect Dawn from Glory. And if she had to leave, well, that   
just couldn't be done. A new destiny. Dawn wasn't her concern anymore,   
although in a way she'd always be her concern…still, a new Slayer had been   
called. Maybe Giles' could arrange for her to come and work in Sunnydale. He   
could be her Watcher…  
  
A small sob escaped her throat as the door opened. She drew her bathrobe   
tighter and composed herself.   
  
"Dawn? What is it…"   
  
"It's not Dawn, Slay...Buffy."   
  
"Oh. It's you."   
  
"Don't sound so happy."   
  
"This isn't a time to be happy. It's a time to be very, very sad."   
  
"Don't exaggerate."   
  
"I'm not. I already thought I was giving up a lot being the Vampire Slayer…now it   
looks like I have to give up even more."   
  
"But think about what you've gained."   
  
"A sidekick with a bad attitude and worse hair?"   
  
"I am not your sidekick. We're equals now."   
  
"And that really cheers me up."   
  
"Stop being so damn…wallowing!"   
  
"What?"   
  
"Wallowing in misery! Anyone would think you liked being unhappy!"   
  
"Not only do I never get to see my friends again, I have to spend the rest of me   
life with you? Oh yeah, that is so a reason to be happy."   
  
"I'm happy."   
  
"You did not just say that."   
  
"Yes. I did, didn't I? I feel so much bloody better…Slay...Buffy, we made a   
connection! You felt it, you must have done!"   
  
"We're both…lonely."   
  
"And we won't be anymore…we'll always have someone."   
  
"Everyone leaves me...I'm like a disease…"   
  
"I won't leave you…I can't. We're two of a kind. Unique."   
  
Buffy and Spike stood a foot or so apart. Spike could hear her heartbeat, and   
closed his eyes to listen. Buffy laughed, breaking the silence.  
  
"What are you doing?"   
  
"listening to your heartbeat so I know when you've calmed down."   
  
"You can hear my heart all the way over there?"   
  
"I'm right in front of you, Buffy. Or didn't you notice?"   
  
She looked at him then. Really looked. Same clothes he'd worn that first night   
they'd met, when she was just a young girl. Just the Slayer. Same hairstyle, and   
still arrogant, still self assured. Something else had changed. He seemed more   
real. More human, and someone who meant something too her.  
  
His handsome face Handsome? Did I really only just notice that? changed   
then into vampiric visage. Now that's just gross.   
  
"Boo. Hello? Slayer...I mean, Buffy, wake up…"  
  
Buffy blinked.  
  
"What's this sudden effort to call me Buffy?"   
  
"Well I thought seeing as how we're both Slayers, it could get confusing.."   
  
"Should I call you William?"   
  
"I hate that name…stick with Spike for now, pet."   
  
"I don't mind if you still call me Slayer sometimes…"   
  
He put his hand on her arm.  
  
"This is real. Isn't it."   
  
She nodded, and he spoke again.  
  
"You have to tell them. We have to leave."   
  
"I know...it's hard."  
  
"It's always been hard. Maybe now it can start to get easier."  
  
"Now we aren't alone anymore?"   
  
"Yes."  
  
*****  
  
A young woman and man stood by the door to a blacked out car. It is night-time,   
and the soft moon highlights the tears on the girl's face. They are encircled by a   
group of people. All seem to be taking it in turns to step forward and say their   
goodbyes, much to the girl's distress. The young man simply looks   
uncomfortable.  
  
Another blonde girl steps forward. "I…I didn't know you for very long at all…but I   
see you. You're a good person, and this is…sad. So I want you to have this…"   
  
She passes over a necklace. It's a simple silver chain, with a ring on the bottom.  
  
"It means eternity. It's been blessed.."   
  
"It's beautiful. Thanks."   
  
They hesitantly hug, and the next steps forward. This girl is awkward, and   
doesn't know what to say. "Thankyou for…well, I suppose being Xander's friend.   
Otherwise, he would be dead, and I would never have met him."   
  
The petite blonde manages a smile. "Thanks…I think."   
  
There is a pause as the black haired youth walks to towards her. Then they   
embrace tightly. He speaks into her hair, tears starting at the corners of his eyes.   
"God Buff. I'm gonna miss you…don't ever change, okay? Not your hairstyle or   
anything…because I want my memory to be real…like you'll always be here. I   
love you…"   
  
The girl sobs. "I won't. I won't…I love you too…this isn't happening…"  
  
"It is." He reluctantly releases her, and turns to the silent peroxide punk. "Look   
after her, okay? And Buffy….don't let him anywhere near your plumbing."   
  
She manages a small laugh, which quickly disappears as the red-head breaks   
down into tears beside her.   
  
"Buffy…"  
  
"Oh Will…"  
  
They hug each other tightly, and don't say anything. Finally the taller girl draws   
back. "You're my best friend. You'll always be my best friend…whatever   
happens, and is happening now, even if Mr Gordo starts flying…" They both   
break into sobs again, then say goodbye and let go. Then the red head thrusts   
something into the blonde's hand. "Here…it's from me and Xander…"  
  
It's a picture taken when the three were all around seventeen. They're smiling at   
the camera, laughing together. They're happy. It shows in sharp contrast to the   
faces we see today.  
  
Three others are left. The first, a young girl with brown hair simply hugs her sister   
very tightly, and the older woman joins her. The mother kisses her oldest   
daughter gently, on the forehead. "I always thought…everyday I worried that you   
wouldn't come home…and now you're leaving…"   
  
"Mom…"  
  
The family embrace again tightly, and fall back. There is one left. He stands in   
front of the girl he has seen change from a carefree teenager to a young woman.   
"Buffy….I can't tell you how proud I am…"  
"Giles…"   
  
He pulls her close to him and she cries for a moment, then he holds her by the   
shoulders.  
  
"I know one day we'll all see each other again. This isn't goodbye."   
  
She nods dumbly, and a loving smile forms on his lips.  
  
"Go."  
  
And she climbs into the blacked out DeSoto with the silent young man. And the   
older man's smile cracks as tears run down his face. And everyone is silent as   
they watch the car drive away.  
  
*****  
  
Music is playing inside the DeSoto. The two sit in silence.  
  
I know your throat is raw from screamin   
I know your eyes are sore from cryin   
I know your people are absent from your life   
I know you're pulling us down   
I know you're screamin and your heart is breakin   
And I know your need to be heard  
  
She tried to stop crying, and it hurt her head.  
  
And your night time company is to argue with a friend like me   
And it's just as you need it to be   
It needs to be   
  
He looked at her. Broken and upset. Wondered what he should do.  
  
Fingers get weary from blamin   
And your friends are all leary of savin you   
Searchin for some handle to hang on   
Or just a warmer wind   
I know you're unhappy and you feel like dyin   
And I know your need to be heard  
  
"Spike?"   
  
"What?"  
  
And your night time company is to bully a friend like me   
And that's just as you need it to be   
It needs to be   
  
"You're…you're car stinks."   
  
"What!"  
  
"Of smoke…it's gross."  
  
And though he detected a faint waver in the voice and the eyes were still red-  
rimmed, things were starting to get better.  
  
This was just how it needed to be.  
  
And your night time company is to argue with a friend like me   
And that's just as you need it to be   
It needs to be   
  



End file.
